skype

If you are a big user of Skype and you want to free your ability to talk from a handset or speaker connected to your computer the Freetalk adapter is for you. This adapter's official name is the Freetalk Home Phone Adapter for Skype. The device is available in certain areas including the UK for £39.99 and connects to your AC outlet, home phone, and your network.

RIM quietly set up a Mumbai data center, so as to allow the Indian government easier surveillance of BlackBerry users' messages, according to sources, though official demand for access continues to outstrip what the Canadian company offers. Facing threats of deactivating BlackBerry service nationwide, RIM supposedly established a small facility to specifically deal with disclosure requests, the WSJ's sources tell them; the Indian government must follow a set, legal procedure demanding message decoding on a person by person basis.

Microsoft's acquisition of Skype has been finalized, bringing the VoIP service under the software company's wing in a deal worth $8.5bn. Skype CEO Tony Bates will now be president of the Skype Division at Microsoft, but in a separate blog post reiterates that the new owner "is committed to the ubiquity of the Skype experience" and that "communication across every device and every platform will remain a primary focus."

It appears that last May's Microsoft acquisition of Skype has finally been approved by the EU. This Friday Microsoft can officially say that, at least in Europe, it'll be able to purchase Skype for $8.5 billion. The European Commission noted that it found both firms activities "overlapped for video communications, where Microsoft is active through its Windows Live Messenger." This of course is noted in regards to competition and whether or not there are "competition concerns" in the deal.

Skype has added video calling support for Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1, the original Google Nexus One and the Motorola Photon 4G, as well as a host of other Android devices. Skype for Android v2.5 adds fourteen new phones and tablets to the compatibility list, bringing the total to 41, as well as adding support for switching between portrait and landscape orientation midway through a video call.

Skype released an update today for its iOS app that's compatible for both the iPhone and iPad. This version 3.5.84 introduces some new features, including anti-shake correction, Bluetooth support for hands-free calling, a bug fix for a security vulnerability, and also the less desirable inclusion of advertisements.

iPhone users need to pay attention to this vulnerability in the iOS version of Skype that has been discovered. Apparently, the vulnerability allows for the theft of all your address book content as easily as sending you a chat message. The way the attack works is that the person sending you a chat message would enter Javascript commands into the user name of the Skype account.

Windows 8 could support voice calls, it's been suggested, after a Metro UI tile for phone functionality was spotted during a BUILD 2011 session last week. The slide, istartedsomething caught, has a Windows Phone 7 style "Missed Calls" dialog complete with times and dates of recent incoming voice calls. However, it's also possible that this could be a VoIP service, or indeed some form of wireless call management when pairing a Windows 8 tablet or phone with a Windows Phone 7 handset.

Skype has added Facebook integration to its OS X app for Mac users, with the new v5.4 beta being brought up to date with the functionality offered in v5.5 for Windows. Those using the VoIP app on their Macs will now be able to read and update their news feeds directly from the Skype software itself; however, v5.4 also brings with it advertising.

Popular four-way video chat app, Fring, has just added a new feature that they're calling "Playgrounds." This addition seems to mimic the Google+ Hangouts feature in that it lets people more freely and casually join in on group video chats. But Fring takes it a step further by making Playgrounds group chats completely open so that people who join in do not have to know each other first.